Edit like an Editor: A Wattpad Featured Guide ✔

Part i. Proofreading Tips

You are not alone—everyone makes typos (silly mistakes that you didn't catch.)

It's nearly impossible to accurately proofread your own writing. Typos are bad and can get you in trouble, but even though you should do your best to catch them, I also think it's important not to beat yourself up too badly when typos happen. Human error is inevitable. The real key to avoiding typos is to have someone else proofread your work. Since that's not always possible, here are some other solutions.

1. While you're writing on your computer or phone, use the auto-correct feature. For example, sometimes when you type too fast, you might type pateint instead of patient, but with the auto-correct feature, I can tell the computer that every time I insert pateint it should insert patient. Problem solved!

2. Run your work through your computer's spell-checking tool. It won't find every error, but it will find words that are flat-out wrong. Consider the alternatives it suggests; the first choice won't always be the correct choice. It would be embarrassing to have the word wetter instead of whether.

Also, the computer's grammar checker isn't always correct either. Consider what it's telling you, but do a little research if its suggestion doesn't seem to make sense. I highly recommend you download Grammarly, or other similar software. It corrects your spelling and grammar and offers suggestions to make your writing more clear and concise. It's also free!

3. Once you're finished using the computer's tools, print out your work. Many people find that if they try to proofread on a computer monitor, they miss more errors than when reading a printed copy.

Here's another tip: Edit your work in a different font and size than you're used to. The text will look different in the environment so your brain will stop skipping what looks familiar (like a typo that has been there since the beginning).

4. Give yourself some time. If possible, let your work sit for a while before you proofread it. If you are able to clear your mind and approach the writing from a fresh perspective, then your brain is more able to focus on the actual words, rather than seeing the words you think you wrote.

5. Read your work out loud. This forces you to read each word individually and increases the odds you'll find a typo. Reading your work out loud also lets you hear the rhythm of your sentences and the logic of your thoughts. This is a great method for editing and rewriting, as I'm sure you've realized I've mentioned this plenty of times throughout this guidebook.

6. Force yourself to view every word. If you don't want to read out loud, you can use the tip of a pencil or pen to physically touch each word. You can also focus on smaller sections of the document by putting a ruler under each line of text as you are reading or by cutting out a small rectangular window on an index card and sliding it over your copy as you read.

7. Read your work backward, starting with the last sentence and working your way in reverse order to the beginning. Supposedly, this works better than reading through from the beginning because your brain knows what you meant to write, and you tend to skip over spelling mistakes when you're reading forward. This also forces your brain to focus on the actual text and not the content of the text.

8. Make your computer read to you. Most word-processors include a text-to-speech feature that will read your writing to you. It's there for the visually impaired, but you can also harness it for proofreading. Put on headphones and listen to a lovely robotic voice reading your masterpiece. You won't find homophone errors such as it's for its, but missing or mangled words will jump out at you.

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